Lynchburg schools OK access-control change order, approve anonymous tip program
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The board approved a change order to expand access-control upgrades into Phase 2 schools and endorsed "Scribe Stoppers," a regional anonymous tip program adapted to students (implemented on laptops) at no cost to the district to route tips to SROs or appropriate jurisdictions.
The Lynchburg City Schools Board voted to approve a construction change order and to implement a regional anonymous-tip program intended to give students and staff an easy, confidential way to report safety concerns.
Access-control change order: Board staff explained the change order for the access-control project moves work into the Phase 2 schools and exceeds the 25% contract-change threshold that requires full-board approval. Staff noted the original appropriation was approximately $4,638,000 and said the resulting contract amount would be about $4,000,572 (staff characterized that as below the original appropriation). The finance and facilities committee moved the change order to the full board; the board approved it on roll call.
Scribe Stoppers program: School officials described a partnership with Central Virginia Crime Stoppers to bring "Scribe Stoppers" to the district. The program allows students and staff to submit anonymous tips via school laptops (so students can use it during the school day without cell phones) or via app/text outside of class. A speaker described the district as the first in the region to pilot the school implementation and said, "it cost us nothing to implement this additional layer of safety and security in our schools." Tips are triaged by Crime Stoppers staff and routed to the appropriate jurisdiction or to school resource officers; noncriminal reports are forwarded to SROs and principals for follow-up. The full board voted to implement the program after committee endorsement.
What the board said: Committee members emphasized the program is intended to be an additional safety layer, with IT enabling access on school devices. "While they're in school, they will not be using their cell phones to do this—they would be through the laptop," one presenter said. Board members noted committee review and supported the recommendation.
Next steps: Staff indicated IT will work to deploy the program on student devices and the district will monitor use and routing procedures. No contract cost to the district was reported in meeting materials.